Virtually every business worldwide has intellectual property that may be of vital importance to its continued success.
Our role is to enable you to make the most of your intellectual property assets through protection, enforcement, commercialisation and audits. We will work with you to establish your needs and objectives for IP protection, and will identify the most suitable form, geographical extent, and availability of protection and manage the relevant process.
IP Protection
It is obviously important to ensure that your intellectual property is protected and that the protection remains current, providing what you require as your business grows and diversifies. Our IP lawyers advise on the appropriate forms of protection available and assist you to obtain relevant protections whether through registered rights such as trade marks to protect your brand, designs, or patents protecting inventions, or unregistered rights such as copyright or the protection of trade secrets and confidential information. We can conduct audits of all aspects of your IP whether for new projects, acquisitions, investments, or strategic housekeeping. We have significant experience of managing IP portfolios nationally and internationally for a wide range of clients, and have looked after some clients’ brands for decades.
IP Enforcement
An issue you may face is the unauthorised registration and/or use of your IP. We provide advice and will represent you in addressing this, with a focus on dispute resolution where possible or swift action, whether in the Courts or IP tribunals, where it is not. If you receive or are threatened with a claim, our IP litigation experts will advise you on the merits and assist in resolving the issue, whether negotiated settlement or robust defence.
IP Commercialisation
Your IP is a very valuable asset and its value may be maximised through licensing, acquisitions or disposals. Our team advises on a broad range of commercial needs from research, development and joint ventures to franchising and merchandising and of course supporting you with the IP aspects of acquisitions or disposals. Whether you require the preparation of commercial contracts or just a “sanity check”, we are there to meet your needs. We also help you clear advertising (print or broadcast) and promotions, comply with regulations, and challenge third parties’ advertising where necessary.
Our Intellectual Property law expertise
Working with colleagues across all relevant legal disciplines, our integrated approach for clients from the largest multi-nationals to start-ups ensures seamless advice across all your commercial requirements from inception to market. We understand the importance of your IP whatever your size. We are one of the few leading City law firms with the ability to provide a holistic approach, and a complete ‘one stop shop’, to meet your needs across the full range of intellectual property.
Brexit presented a big challenge to owners of IP and now the transition period has ended there are ongoing issues to consider as a result of the changes. For us, with offices in the UK and the EU, it is business as usual for IP matters, but we have produced guidance on the implications of Brexit on all types of intellectual property and our recommended action points here.
